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Harmony and ecological civilisation: Beyond the capitalist alienation of nature

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By Fred Magdoff

June 4, 2012 -- Monthly Review -- Let me begin by making clear
that I am not a philosopher nor am I well versed in Chinese cultural
history. My background is in agriculture, specifically soil fertility
and health, from which I have branched out into areas of ecology and
ecological approaches to agriculture and society.

With that
background in mind, when I consider the concept of harmony in the
context of humans, their societies and the environment I have a
particular understanding of the concept. It refers to all people living
together peacefully without exploitation of one person by another, each
able to reach his or her full human potential, in a society in which
everyone has their basic material and nonmaterial needs satisfied, feels
secure, safe, happy and fulfilled as human beings. In addition, the
concept also implies harmony between people, the environment and the
other species we share the planet with. People need fully to understand,
and act in such ways that indicate, that they are embedded in nature
and dependent upon it—not just to obtain natural resources needed for
human life, but also that their lives are made richer and protected by
biodiversity and the smooth and efficient functioning of the many cycles
of nature such as the water and nutrient cycles.

There is an
overriding issue when considering harmony as I have briefly described
it. Harmony in the world — among its people and between humans and the
rest of the ecosystems — is not possible in the context of capitalism.
Capitalism, a system that has been in existence for some 500 years
(merchant capitalism for approximately 250 years and industrial
capitalism for about 250 years) — a relatively short time in the
150,000-year history of anatomically modern humans — has shown that it
fosters
interpersonal relations and metabolic interactions with the Earth that
are detrimental to achieving a harmonious existence. This is a result of
capitalism’s basic characteristics and the relationships it creates as
it normally functions. The purpose of capitalism is not to
satisfy human needs and preserve the environment. There is only one
purpose and driving force — ultimately responsible for both its dynamic
periods and its crises and long periods of slow growth (stagnation) — and
that is the accumulation of capital without end.

The capitalist system
has a number of basic characteristics and also fosters specific human
characteristics and relationships. Here are 10 key aspects of
capitalism:

It has to grow (or else it is in crisis) and its very logic and motivating force impels growth.

It has no other driving force than the accumulation of ever greater amounts of capital.

Through the creation of so-called
“externalities” (or side effects) it wreaks damage on humans as well as
the ecosystem and the life support systems needed by humanity and other
species. In Paul Sweezy’s words: “As far as the natural environment is
concerned, capitalism perceives it not as something to be cherished and
enjoyed but as a means to the paramount ends of profit-making and still
more capital accumulation.”1

It promotes the use of non-renewable resources
without regard to the needs of future generations, as if there was no
end to them, and abuses even renewable resources such as ocean fisheries
and forests.

It creates vast inequality in income, wealth
and power both within and between countries. Not only class, but race,
gender and other inequalities are built into its laws of motion.

It requires and produces a reserve army of
labour — people precariously connected to the economy, most kept in poverty
or near poverty — so that labour is available during economic upswings and
workers can easily be fired when not needed by businesses.

It promotes national economic and political competition and imperialism, leading to wars for domination and access to resources.

It fosters and rewards those particular human
traits that are useful for thriving or even just existing in such a
possessive-individualist society — selfishness, individualism,
competition, greed, exploitation of others, consumerism — while not
allowing the full expression of those human characteristics needed for a
harmonious society (cooperation, sharing, empathy and altruism).

It leads to the breakdown of human health since
people operate in a hierarchical society, with many working under
dangerous and physically debilitating conditions or in jobs that are
repetitive and boring — while subject to job loss or fear of losing their
job. (There are many adverse long-term health effects following the loss
of one’s job.)2

It leads to the breakdown of healthy communities
as people become more solitary in outlook and behaviour and Indigenous
culture is replaced by the dominant national or international capitalist
culture and outlook. People become dedicated to obtaining more for
themselves and their families and depending less on reciprocal
relationships with others.

The growth imperative of capitalism deserves special attention
because it is one of the major stumbling blocks with respect to harmony
between humans and the environment. Accumulation without end means using
ever greater quantities of resources — without end — even as we find ways
to use resources more efficiently. An economy growing at the very meagre
rate of 1 per cent a year will double in about 72 years, but
one growing at 2 per cent a year, still a low rate, will double in size
in 36 years. And when growing at 3 and 4 per cent, economies will
double in 24 and 18 years respectively. China recently
has seen recorded growth rates of up to 10 per cent, meaning economic
output doubles at a rate of approximately every seven years! Yet, we are
already using up resources far too fast from the one planet we
have — depleting the stocks of non-renewable resources rapidly and misusing
and overusing resources that are theoretically “renewable”. If the
world’s economy doubles within the next 20 to 30years this can
only hasten the descent into ecological, and probably societal, chaos
and destruction.

Thus capitalism promotes the processes,
relationships and outcomes that are precisely the opposite of those
needed for an ecologically sound, just, harmonious society.

In the alienated ideology and practice of bourgeois society, Marx and Engels noted in The German Ideology,
“the relation of man to nature is excluded from history and hence the
antithesis of man to nature is created”. Proletarians thus had the
historical task of bringing their “‘existence’ into harmony with their ‘essence’ in a practical way, by means of a revolution” (italics added).3
Only in this way could they reestablish a harmonious connection to
nature and to their own production. That Marx and Engels were referring
directly to the early stages of what we now call the ecological crisis
is indicated by the following:

“The ‘essence’ of the fish is its
‘being,’ water—to go no further than this one proposition. The ‘essence’
of the freshwater fish is the water of a river. But the latter ceases
to be the ‘essence’ of the fish and is no longer a suitable medium of
existence as soon as the river is made to serve industry, as soon as it
is polluted by dyes and other waste products and navigated by
steamboats, or as soon as its water is diverted into canals where simple
drainage can deprive the fish of its medium of existence.”4

Nevertheless,
for many the role that capitalism plays in ecological destruction is
invisible. Thus the ecological and social antagonisms and contradictions
of capitalism are frequently misdiagnosed. Some observers suggest that
many of these problems are caused by the rise of industrial society.
Here, so the thinking goes, any society based on or using industrial
production will necessarily have the same resource and environmental
problems. Others blame the thoughtless exploitation of natural resources
and the great damage done to the environment on the existence of too
many people. The large population, exceeding the carrying capacity of
the planet, they maintain, is the culprit and the
solution is therefore to reduce the population of the Earth as quickly
as possible. (Not easy to do of course by humane means.) Some
ahistorical commentators say the problem is endemic to humans because we
are inherently greedy and acquisitive.

With a few important exceptions,
non-Marxist discussions of the problems neglect to even look at the
characteristics and workings of capitalism, let alone examine them at
any depth. They are so embedded in the system, that they assume that
capitalism, which many mislabel “the market economy”, will go on and on
forever — even, it is illogically assumed, if we destroy the Earth itself
as a place of human habitation — while any other type of economic system
is absolutely inconceivable. Economic, societal and historical contexts
are completely ignored.

Rational and useful alternative solutions
to any problem depend upon a realistic analysis and diagnosis as to
what is causing it to occur. When such analysis is lacking substance the
proposed “solutions” will most likely be useless. For example, there
are people fixated on non-renewable resource depletion that is caused, in
their opinion, by “overpopulation”. Thus, they propose, as the one and
only “solution”, a rapid “degrowth” of the world’s population. Programs
that provide contraceptives to women in poor countries are therefore
offered as an important tool to solving the global ecological problem.
However, those concerned with there being too many people generally do
not discuss the economic system that is so destructive to the
environment and people or the critical moral and practical issue of the
vast inequalities created by capitalism. Even the way that capitalism
itself requires population growth as part of its overall expansion is
ignored.

Thus, a critical aspect almost always missing from
discussions by those concerned with population as it affects resource
use and pollution is that the overwhelming majority of the Earth’s
environmental problems are caused by the wealthy and their
lifestyles — and by a system of capital accumulation that predominantly
serves their interests. The World Bank staff estimates that the
wealthiest 10 per cent of humanity are responsible for approximately 60
per cent of all resource use and therefore 60 per cent of the pollution
(most probably an underestimate).

Commentators fixated on non-renewable
resources and pollution as the overriding issues cannot see
that one of their main “solutions” — promoting birth control in poor
countries — gets nowhere near to even beginning to address the real
problem.

It should go without saying that poor people should have access
to medical services, including those involving family planning. This
should be considered a basic human right. The rights of women in this
respect are one of the key indicators of democratic and human
development. But how can people fixated on the mere population numbers
ignore the fact that it is the world’s affluent classes that account for
the great bulk of those problems — whether one is looking at resource
use, consumption, waste or environmental pollution — that are considered
so important to the survival of society and even humanity?

In
addition to the vast quantity of resources used and pollution caused by
wealthy individuals, governments are also responsible. The US military
is one of the world’s prime users of resources — from oil to copper,
zinc, tin and rare earths. The military is also is the single largest
consumer of energy in the United States.5

While
capitalism creates many of the features and relationships discussed
above, we must keep in mind that long before capitalism existed there
were negative societal aspects such as warfare, exploitation of people
and resources, and ecological damage. However, capitalism solidifies and
makes these problems systemic while at the same time creating other
negative aspects.

Living in harmony with the planet

It
is certain that there is no way to reach a truly harmonious
civilisation with an economic system in which decisions are made by
private individuals based on how much capital will be accumulated as
well as personal greed and consumerism. In such a society “[s]ocial
relations became but reflections of the dominating force of society’s
capitalist economics.”6
Hierarchical class structures are solidified—with workers (blue and
white collar), small business owners (this includes farmers and
craftspeople working on their own or in small units) and owners and
managers of large businesses. The relationship of a worker to a business
manager or owner reflects differences of wealth and power in the
workplace and in the world outside. And the worker and the boss have
differing interests. The boss is trying to maximise profits while the
worker is trying to get more income and better working conditions.

Because of the motive force of capitalism and the procedures, practices
and approaches embedded in its DNA, there is no way to reform or modify
the system to accomplish the goals of sustainability, harmony or
ecological civilisation. Capitalism, in its very essence, is
anti-sustainability, anti-harmony and anti-ecology. For Marx capitalism
generated an “irreparable rift” in the metabolism of nature and
society, requiring the “restoration” of this basic metabolism essential
to life — a restoration that necessitated a more harmonious social order
beyond capitalism.7

No
one can predict the details of any future civilisation. But, to be
ecological and socially sustainable — basic requirements for harmonious
society — an economy will need to have the sole purpose of satisfying
basic human material and non-material needs (which, of course, includes a
healthy ecosystem) for all people. As with many pre-capitalist
societies, economics will need to be submerged within human
relationships and must be under control of the people.

An
ecological or harmonious civilisation, a truly sustainable and
ecologically sound society, will need to have certain basic
characteristics. It will need to stop economic growth after basic human
needs are satisfied. It will also need to promote, encourage and reward
the positive human traits of cooperation, sharing, empathy and
reciprocity. And it must operate with respect for, and care of, the
environment — locally, regionally and globally.

There are people
who believe that nature has rights of its own and that “Mother Earth”
(or Pachamama, in the language of the people of the Andes in South
America) should be respected and cared for just because it is right and
ethical to do so. But even taking an anthropocentric view, it is to
the direct benefit of humans and their societies to create and maintain
biological and habitat diversity and functioning, essential to a
thriving ecosystem. In order to live healthy, satisfied and happy
lives now and for generations to come people need clean water and air,
healthy and productive soils, wise and careful use of renewable and
nonrenewable resources.

Degraded ecosystems need to be regenerated.
Humans need places to see and enjoy the natural world — parks, forests,
swamps, lakes. When people understand nature’s beauty and importance for
their existence, they live emotionally richer lives and are connected
to the natural world on a deep emotional level. There has even been a
term coined for describing children that do not experience the natural
world regularly (and in industrialised wealthy countries this may
include the majority )— “nature-deficit disorder”. Although some children
do adapt to being mostly indoors and relating with the world primarily
through electronic gadgets, there are many that suffer the consequences
ranging from a lack of vitamin D to depressed immune systems (more
likely to be sick) to behavioural problems such as aggressiveness.8

Because our lives are so dependent on healthy local, regional and
world ecosystems, protecting and regenerating the environment must be a
goal of a society that seeks harmony in the broadest sense.

An
economic/political/social system that is designed to satisfy basic human
material and non-material needs for everyone (as discussed above) will
require a democratic decision-making process that is based in
communities and the cooperation between many communities and regions.

It
will be essential for people to live at a much more modest living
standard than what is called the Western middle-class standard of
living. This is underscored by the Work Bank estimate that approximately
75 per cent of all resource use (and, therefore, pollution) is caused by
the wealthiest 20 per cent of humanity, approximately 1.4 billion
people. Even here, as we shall see, the statistics are undoubtedly
conservative. As explained in my book (written with John Bellamy Foster)
What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism:

It
is important to recognize that this [the wide income/wealth disparity
characterizing global society] is a question of class and other forms of
social inequality, as well as inequality between nations. In 2008,
Americans in the highest income quintile (the top 20 percent) spent
three to four times as much on housing and clothing, and five times as
much on transportation as those in the poorest quintile. In Canada,
where consumption data is available by groupings that represent 10
percent of the population (deciles), ecological footprint analysts have
found that the top income decile has an ecological footprint nine times
that of the bottom decile, and a consumer goods footprint four times
that of the bottom decile.9

When
viewed at the global scale, inequality is even worse. Recent studies
have shown that “a mere 2 percent of the world’s adult individuals have
more than half of the global household wealth, with the richest 1
percent accounting for 40 percent of total global assets; while the
bottom half of the world’s population has barely 1 percent”.10

A
harmonious and ecologically sound society must promote substantive
equality. It is impossible for everyone to live at a very high
(so-called Western middle-class) standard of living since this would
necessitate an ecological footprint that the planet cannot support. Nor
is a truly democratic system (essential for harmonious society)
compatible with conditions in which a few live in luxury while most
people live at far lower living standards. A harmonious relation to
nature and society therefore requires egalitarian conditions. Indeed,
how would a few manage to live at a higher standard than the mass of
people when economic decisions, including those of investment, wages,
types of private property permitted, etc., are being made by democratic,
planned procedures?

If society is going to meet the needs for all
people to live decent lives, we cannot ethically have a group, however
small, that constitutes a wealthy leisure class that promotes what the
great US sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen called
“conspicuous consumption”. Nor can we have a culture of “pecuniary
emulation” based on “invidious distinctions”, where everyone is
attempting to outdo his/her neighbours in physical possessions.11

In
an earlier paper I approached the subject of ecological civilisation by
beginning with a discussion of basic ecological concepts.12
I described the pillars that undergird strong ecosystems — diversity;
efficient natural cycles through closely linked metabolic relationships,
self-sufficiency, self-regulation and resiliency through self-renewal.
The discussion then turned to using these pillars as a framework to
examine characteristics of a possible future ecological civilisation.

Self-regulation

Let
me give just one example of the changes that can occur when communities
are put in control of their economies (self-regulation). In Venezuela,
small-scale fisherpeople were having problems caused by the large and
disruptive harvests made by huge fishing trawlers. Bottom trawling
techniques not only harvested large quantities of fish, but also damaged
the sea floor and coral life so important to maintaining the stock of
fish for the future. The Venezuelan government banned trawlers from
Venezuela's territorial waters. In keeping with its approach to other
communities, fishing communities were encouraged to make decisions and
manage their resources collectively. Now, the fishing cooperative of
Chuao — a village mainly known for the quality of chocolate produced from
its cacao trees — collectively decides on when and where to fish and how
much to catch, and the size of fish to keep. They are able to not only
feed their community, but also sell fish to the government-operated,
low-cost markets to supply the general population. They have gained a
semblance of self-sufficiency (another pillar of strong ecosystems) by
means of their own gardens, the fish they catch, the cacao and bananas
they sell. By controlling the location, quantity and size of fish they
catch they are in a closely linked conscious and planned metabolic
relationship (another important pillar of strong ecosystems as applied
to society) with the natural world that is based on respect for this
resource and its preservation for future generations.

To
summarise, a harmonious civilisation requires an economy and politics
under social control. One in which communities strive for: (1) self-regulation by meaningful democratic processes; (2) self-sufficiency for
critical life needs (even though complete self-sufficiency is not needed
or desirable); (3) economic equality in which everyone has their basic
human material needs — but no more — met; and (4) application of ecological
approaches to production, living and transportation.

We can simplify the issues by using the following equation:

Harmonious civilisation =

socialism
(with the economy and politics under social control, meaning democratic
control by the people and workers controlling their factories, farms,
and all other workplaces)

+ an economy operating with the goal of producing goods and services that will fulfill basic human needs, while protecting the environment+ substantive equality+ living simply

All of this of course means cultivating a new, harmonious ethic as part of an ecological revolution. As the Dao De Jing (also referred to as the Laozi) declared: “People starve because the rich take too much …. Only those who do not use life as a means [for aggrandisement] are able to value life.”13 We must find a way to return to this essentially harmonious, ecological conception in our lived society.

[Fred Magdoff is professor emeritus of plant and soil science at the University of Vermont. His is co-author with John Bellamy Foster of What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism (Monthly Review Press 2011). This
article was prepared for presentation to the conference on “Harmony and
Ecological Civilization” organised for a group of visiting Chinese
academics interested in ecological Marxism by the Institute for
Postmodern Development of China (IPDC), Claremont, California, on April
27 and 28, 2012. Sponsors of the conference from China included the
Central Bureau of Compilation and Translation of the CCP and the China
Society for the Dialectics of Nature.]

Comments

Like many '2nd Wave' Marxists, Magdoff misses a key point. We need unlimited growth in one sector of the economy, the knowledge sector, especially as high design. And the more we use its products, the better it gets. In fact, it is precisely through the infinite growth of this sector, that we have the means to lighten the ecological footprint of all the others, many of which, I would agree, have to be restrained, or even in some cases, shrunk toward zero.

It is also precisely this that allows for higher quality living standards in 21st century socialism, even as it's done with less 'stuff', and enables harmony between the Global North and South. All the bare bones of this was set forth some time ago in the work of Buckminster Fuller. It's time for the Marxists of our generation to start taking the work of this visionary seriously, and avoid the backward trap of 'no growth' and its inevitable divisiveness.